MPs like me have been betrayed by Rishi on Yemen – where was our vote?
I am hugely concerned about what precedent this is setting for British democracy, and the wider destabilisation in the Middle East.
This week the government made the decision to embark on military action, without so much as informing Parliament.
As the UK joined the US in striking targets connected to Houthi rebels in Yemen, MPs were left in the dark, unable to debate the pros and cons.
I am hugely concerned about what precedent this is setting for British democracy, and the wider destabilisation in the Middle East at a time when we are seeing so much death and destruction in the region.
Nearly 100 days on from Hamas’ horrific terror attacks on October 7, with over 20,000 killed and devastation for so many families, my own relatives in Gaza City included, the warnings of the wider region becoming a tinderbox are louder than ever.
That is the backdrop to these strikes, which occurred after an escalation in the activities of Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who have attacked numerous ships in the Red Sea, claiming their actions are part of an attempt to end the offensive on Gaza.
This is causing major disruption to international shipping routes, with vessels diverting around Africa on a journey of an extra 3,500 nautical miles at a cost of £1.6million per trip.
A UN Security Council resolution passed on Wednesday condemned the activities, and demanded that the Houthis immediately cease all such attacks – and my party, the Liberal Democrats, add their voice to this call.
They are not only de-stabilising in a region fraught with conflict and tension, but will surely have a significant impact on the cost of living here in the UK. Economists estimate shipping diversions could cause the UK economy to shrink.
And that is why the UK Government has embarked on joint military action with the USA against Houthi targets – saying it is a defensive move given a recent attack on a British vessel.
Follow Metro on WhatsApp to be the first to get all the latest news
Want to be the first to hear the world’s top stories? Metro.co.uk is now on WhatsApp sending vital updates and top trending stories straight to your phone.
Join the Metro WhatsApp community now for breaking news, juicy showbiz stories and must-watch videos from across our website.
Simply click on this link and select ‘Join Chat’. Don’t forget to turn on notifications so you’ll always be the first to hear the latest!
I can see their rationale, but there are finely balanced judgements to be made regarding the likelihood of retaliation and escalation.
These are arguments that could and should be set out by the government for MPs to debate in the House of Commons. And they have failed to do so.
It’s vital that we know more. It remains unclear what consultation was had with key states in the region – most notably Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan.
And we need to know the end game. If this spirals out of control what safeguards do we have in place? Frankly, we don’t seem to know what the plan is.
It’s because of this instability and uncertainty that we need to tread carefully.
More broadly, it’s vitally important that we stop the conflict out of which this is all spiralling.
That means working towards a political solution between Israel and Palestine – which will make the region far more secure.
For months now, Liberal Democrats have been calling for an immediate bilateral ceasefire, securing the hostages’ release, removing Hamas from Gaza, delivering aid, and ultimately working towards a two-state solution.
Not only will that deliver peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis, but it is a preemptive move against regional escalation, pulling the rug out from under the Houthi rebels and their Iranian paymasters.
But Britain’s response to any and all escalations need to be taken in Parliament.
The decision to conduct these airstrikes was made without Rishi Sunak coming before MPs – meaning the earliest opportunity for MPs to question ministers is on Monday.
This action was trailed for days, even weeks, with comments from the Defence Secretary saying ‘watch this space’ making clear military strikes were on the table. We could have had a preemptive debate and vote on the principles and parameters. But we did not.
More from Platform
Platform is the home of Metro.co.uk's first-person and opinion pieces, devoted to giving a platform to underheard and underrepresented voices in the media.
Find some of our best reads of the week below:
Metro's resident wedding agony aunt Alison Rios McCrone dealt with another issue this week, with a bride-to-be shocked at her mum taking issue with how intense she was in planning her nuptials.
Emily Vaughn shares her truly harrowing story of being groomed and trafficked from the age of 14, and how she rebuilt her life after being forced to have sex with over 1,500 men.
When Celia Chartres-Aris was given a brilliant new job, she thought telling them about her disability would be just a formality - but in fact her job offer was withdrawn when she told her new employers about the adjustments they would have to make.
After decades battling a stammer following childhood trauma, things reached a breaking point for Jonathan Blair, who had been so ashamed of his speech impediment that he hadn't even told his wife about his condition.
There should now be a retrospective vote to ensure MPs are not silenced – and there is precedent for this too – a certain David Cameron gave a vote on intervention in Libya when Parliament made clear it didn’t want to take part.
Without ministers coming to Parliament to explain their reasoning, we can’t make a judgement on whether the right course of action was taken, and as MPs we take these life or death decisions incredibly seriously.
Forgive me if I don’t want to give the Tories and Labour, who are backing the strikes, a blank cheque. They’ve got these things wrong before. They should welcome the scrutiny.
The convention, which emerged in the wake of the Iraq War, that Parliament should be given the opportunity to debate and vote on any prospective action, was hard-fought.
But this week’s events are a worrying sign that we are slipping back to where we were before 2002.
The UK has a historic obligation to this region as well as our own people, and our democratic principles.
For that reason, the Liberal Democrats will continue to call for the upholding of our parliamentary conventions, an immediate bilateral ceasefire, and to not lose sight of the political horizon and that precious peace in the Middle East.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk.
Share your views in the comments below.
MORE : Dire warning for UK and US after airstrikes leave people asking ‘are we at war?’
MORE : UK and US launch airstrikes against Houthis in Yemen – as it happened
MORE : Who are the Houthis? Yemen’s rebels stoking fears of Middle East war